# Charities Act unlikely to make it onto statute books in 2005, says NCVO

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/03/02/charities-act-unlikely-make-it-statute-books-2005-says-ncvo/
- Published: 2005-03-02T11:12:12+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is not optimistic that the
Charities Bill will make it onto the statute books this year.

NCVO Chief Executive Stuart Etherington said: “It is disappointing and frustrating
that the Charities Bill will almost certainly not make it onto the statute books
this year, but this should be seen as delay not defeat. It looks like the voluntary
sector will have to wait a bit longer for the much needed reform of its 400 year
old law.

“Having worked hard on this process for over five years, and more recently with 
the support of the Coalition for a Charities Act, NCVO will be calling for the re-
introduction of the Bill by the next government. We hope that the high levels of
cross party support we have already seen for this legislation and the thorough scrutiny
it has already been subjected to will allow its rapid progress through the next 
Parliament.

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He welcomed the constructive support from Government, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
front benches on the Committee Stage of the Bill. However, he felt that “the length
of time spent by the House of Lords scrutinising a Bill that has already been subject
to extensive consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny, in combination with the 
impending General Election, has been the Charities Bill’s undoing”.

He added that “With fifteen months passing between the publication of the Strategy
Unit’s report on charity law reform in 2002 and the announcement of the draft bill
in the Queen’s Speech in November 2003, NCVO knew then that time would be tight.
This was not helped by delays in the publication of both the draft bill and the 
Bill itself.”

NCVO was putting its faith in its Election Manifesto, launched in February, which
calls on parliamentary candidates and the next government to support the introduction
of the Charities Bill in the first Queen’s Speech following the election if it fails
to make it onto the statute books this year.

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

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